A scherzo (pronounced /ˈskɛərtsəʊ/ in the UK or /ˈskɜːrts-/ in the US, and /ˈskertsoʊ/ in Italian) is a short musical piece. It can sometimes be part of a larger work, like a symphony or sonata. Over time, the meaning of the term has changed. Often, a scherzo is the third movement in a four-movement musical work, such as a symphony, sonata, or string quartet. It may also describe a fast and humorous musical piece that is not always part of a larger work. The plural form is "scherzos" or "scherzi."

Origins

The Italian word scherzo means "joke" or "jest." Less often, the similar word badinerie (also spelled battinerie) has been used, which comes from French and means "jesting." In music, the term scherzando ("joking") is sometimes written in sheet music to show that a section should be played in a playful way. An early use of scherzo in music appears in light-hearted madrigals from the early Baroque period, which were sometimes called scherzi musicali. Examples include:

• Claudio Monteverdi composed two sets of works with this title in 1607 and 1632.
• Antonio Brunelli wrote Scherzi, Arie, Canzonette e Madrigale for voices and instruments in 1616.
• Johann Baptist Schenk created Scherzi musicale, which includes fourteen suites for gamba and continuo.

Later, composers used the term scherzo (plural: scherzos or scherzi) and sometimes badinerie to describe fast instrumental pieces in 2/4 time. Examples include:

• The scherzo in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Partita No. 3 for keyboard.
• The most famous Badinerie is the final movement of Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor.
• Badineries in French overtures by Christoph Graupner and Georg Philipp Telemann.

Today, the scherzo is most commonly known as a musical movement that evolved from the minuet and trio. Over time, it replaced the minuet as the third (or sometimes second) movement in symphonies, string quartets, sonatas, and similar works. It keeps the triple meter time signature and three-part structure of the minuet but is much faster. It is often, though not always, played in a light-hearted style. A key feature is a melody in 6/8 time, where each measure has six eighth notes.

Form

The scherzo has a specific structure with two main parts, but it is often played with a trio section in between, forming a pattern called ABA or ternary form. This pattern can happen two or more times, creating a structure like ABABA. The "B" section, known as the trio, is a contrasting part that does not always involve only three instruments, unlike some classical minuets. In some cases, the scherzo follows a different structure called sonata form, such as in the third movement of Brahms's Fourth Symphony in E Minor.

Appearance/examples in compositions

Scherzos sometimes differ from the usual structure in several ways.

• Some scherzos are not in the typical 3/4 time. For example, the scherzo in Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony is in 4/4 time. The trio section of the scherzo from his Second Symphony is in 8/8 time. Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 18 is also unusual because it uses sonata form instead of the usual A-B-A (ternary) form for this type of movement. This means it does not have a trio section. Additionally, this sonata has a scherzo followed by a minuet and trio movement, which is rare because most sonatas include either a scherzo or a minuet, but not both. Some analysts suggest the scherzo in this sonata might act as the slow movement, even though it is fast. This would keep the traditional four-movement structure Beethoven often used in his early piano sonatas.

• Joseph Haydn wrote minuets that are similar in tone to scherzos. However, it was Beethoven and Franz Schubert who first used scherzos widely. Beethoven, in particular, changed the gentle rhythm of the minuet into a more intense and sometimes harsh dance. In 1781, Haydn replaced minuets with scherzos in all six of his String Quartets, Op. 33.

The scherzo remained a common movement in symphonies and related forms throughout the 19th century and beyond. Composers also began writing scherzos as standalone pieces, expanding the form’s possibilities.

• The first three of Frédéric Chopin’s four famous piano scherzos are especially dark and energetic, lacking the humorous tone often associated with scherzos. Robert Schumann noted that Chopin’s scherzos are so serious, it is hard to imagine how humor could be expressed in such a way. Chopin’s four scherzos are written as single movements, which is much larger in scale than Beethoven’s earlier model of multi-movement works.

• Johannes Brahms once called the scherzo from his Second Piano Concerto a "little wisp of a scherzo," a sarcastic comment reflecting how long and complex the movement is.

• Other examples include the second movement of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, the second (or third) movement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, Felix Mendelssohn’s music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream between acts 1 and 2, and several movements in Bruckner’s symphonies.

In modern compositions, the scherzo continues to appear.

• Australian composer Julian Cochran wrote many scherzos, including four for piano and two large-scale scherzos for symphony orchestra.

• The soundtrack of John Williams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) includes a track titled "Scherzo for X-Wings," which follows the traditional A-B-A structure and uses 6/8 time. Williams previously composed "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and "Scherzo for Today" for NBC’s The Today Show in 1985.